Search results for ""crown""

Set in Williams' New York Times bestselling fantasy world, the second book of The Last King of Osten Ard returns to the trials of King Simon and Queen Miriamele as threats to their kingdom loom...The kingdoms of Osten Ard have been at peace for decades, but now, the threat of a new war grows to nightmarish proportions.Simon and Miriamele, royal husband and wife, face danger from every side. Their allies in Hernystir have made a pact with the dreadful Queen of the Norns to allow her armies to cross into mortal lands. The ancient, powerful nation of Nabban is on the verge of bloody civil war, and the fierce nomads of the Thrithings grasslands have begun to mobilize, united by superstitious fervor and their age-old hatred of the city-dwellers. But as the countries and peoples of the High Ward bicker among themselves, battle, bloodshed, and dark magics threaten to pull civilizations to pieces. And over it all looms the mystery of the Witchwood Crown, the deadly puzzle that Simon, Miriamele, and their allies must solve if they wish to survive.But as the kingdoms of Osten Ard are torn apart by fear and greed, a few individuals will fight for their own lives and destinies—not yet aware that the survival of everything depends on them.

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Cassie Dewell returns in this thrilling new read from the series that inspired the hit TV show Big Sky, from New York Times bestselling author C.J. Box. Investigator Cassie Dewell is headed to Anaconda, Montana, in search of a slippery con-man who has disappeared somewhere in the Treasure State. A wealthy California divorcee has accused him of absconding with her entire fortune, and wants Cassie to find him and get it back. Anaconda, a quirky former copper mining town, is the perfect place to reinvent yourself, and as the case develops, Cassie begins to wonder if her client is telling her the truth. Between searching for the con-man and investigating rumours of buried treasure somewhere in the vicinity of the town, Cassie has her hands full. For fans of Big Sky and Yellowstone, Treasure State is full of more twists and turns than the switchbacks through the Anaconda Range. 'The perfect book to crown your summer reading list.' BookTrib 'An action-packed page turner.' New York Journal of Books 'Box has crafted a complex and compelling double mystery that treats readers to a thrilling read.' Durango Herald Reviewers on the Cassie Dewell books 'Excellent... Box has rarely been better.' Publishers Weekly 'Cassie Dewell is a complex and multi-faceted protagonist.' Book Reporter 'Joe Pickett may be Box's main man, but Cassie is equally compelling.' Booklist

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A luscious, enthralling and colourful novel of India, sure to appeal to readers of Dinah Jefferies' THE TEA PLANTER'S WIFE. 'Beautifully written, you can smell the spices, feel the heat, and your heart will break, you will laugh at some of the things Mam says, and cry at others, you will want a sequel' LovereadingShortlisted for the HWA Goldsboro Debut CrownEden Gardens, Calcutta, the 1940s. In a ramshackle house, streets away from the grand colonial mansions of the British, live Maisy, her Mam and their ayah, Pushpa. Whiskey-fuelled and poverty-stricken, Mam entertains officers in the night - a disgrace to British India. All hopes are on beautiful Maisy to restore their good fortune.But Maisy's more at home in the city's forbidden alleyways, eating bazaar food and speaking Bengali with Pushpa, than dancing in glittering ballrooms with potential husbands.Then one day Maisy's tutor falls ill. His son stands in. Poetic, handsome and ambitious for an independent India, Sunil Banerjee promises Maisy the world.So begins a love affair that will cast her future, for better and for worse. Just as the Second World War strikes and the empire begins to crumble...This is the other side of British India. A dizzying, scandalous, dangerous world, where race, class and gender divide and rule.

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Edition of a major, previously unpublished, source for the history of England's medieval parliament. In the Middle Ages clergy of all ranks, from archbishops to parochial clergy, sent proctors to parliament, whether as representatives of constituency groups - diocesan clergy and cathedral chapters - or substitutes for those expected to attend in person. The National Archives series SC 10 contains 2,520 surviving letters of appointments by these parliamentarians, both groups and, more especially, individuals, cathedral deans, archdeacons, and many bishops;especially valuable are the letters sent by bishops whose registers have not survived, as in the case of Chichester and of the Welsh dioceses. Most numerous of all are the letters of parliamentary abbots. This second of twovolumes presents the first printed edition of the documents, opening up a level of political activity and interaction which has hitherto been unexplored. It covers the years from the accession of Richard II until the end of the series under Henry VIII; it also includes an analysis of the proctors, and the indices to both volumes. PHIL BRADFORD gained his PhD in medieval history from the University of York and is currently Vicar of St Michael's,Worcester; ALISON K. MCHARDY was formerly Reader in Medieval English History at the University of Nottingham. She has published extensively on the relations between crown and church in late-medieval England, and on the politics of Richard II's reign.

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King of the Lobby tells the story of how one man harnessed delicious food, fine wine, and good conversation to the task of becoming the most influential lobbyist of the Gilded Age. Sam Ward was a colorful character. Scion of an old and honorable family, best friend of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and charming man-about-Washington, Ward held his own in an era crowded with larger-than-life personalities. Living by the motto that the shortest route between a pending bill and a congressman's "aye" was through his stomach, Ward elegantly entertained political elites in return for their votes. At a time when waves of scandal washed over Washington, the popular press railed against the wickedness of the lobby, and self-righteous politicians predicted that special interests would cause the downfall of democratic government, Sam Ward still reigned supreme. By the early 1870s, he had earned the title "King of the Lobby" and jokingly referred to himself as "Rex Vestiari." Ward cultivated a style of lobbying that survives today in the form of expensive golf outings, extravagant dinners, and luxurious vacations. Kathryn Allamong Jacob's engaging account shows how the "king" earned his crown through cookery and conversation and how this son of wealth and privilege helped to create a questionable profession in a city that then, as now, rested on power and influence.

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A stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark. Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival. Toni is grieving the loss of her roadie father and needing to figure out where her life will go from here - and she's desperate to get back to loving music. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating (again) and is beginning to feel like she'll always be a square peg in a round hole - but the Farmland Music and Arts Festival is a chance to find a place where she fits. The two collide and it feels like something like kismet when a bond begins to form. But when something goes wrong and the festival is sent into a panic, Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other (and music) more than they ever imagined. A joyous, Black girl rom-com about finding love and being true to yourself Explores the power of communal joy to bring people together, even in the most uncertain of times Leah Johnson's You Should See Me in a Crown was the very first YA pick for Reese Witherspoon's book club: '[A] super funny, joyful story that’ll have you reliving your high school prom days!’

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A rich portrait of Frederick Barbarossa, the medieval monarch who ruled Germany in cooperation with the princes and whose legend inspired Hitler to label his invasion of the Soviet Union “Operation Barbarossa”“Freed has done so much to illuminate the ins and out of German politics in the late tweflth century, ensuring that his book will be a constant point of reference for scholars.”—David Abulafia, History Today Frederick Barbarossa, born of two of Germany’s most powerful families, swept to the imperial throne in a coup d’état in 1152. A leading monarch of the Middle Ages, he legalized the dualism between the crown and the princes that endured until the end of the Holy Roman Empire. This new biography, the first in English in four decades, paints a rich picture of a consummate diplomat and effective warrior. John Freed mines Barbarossa’s recently published charters and other sources to illuminate the monarch’s remarkable ability to rule an empire that stretched from the Baltic to Rome, and from France to Poland. Offering a fresh assessment of the role of Barbarossa’s extensive familial network in his success, the author also considers the impact of Frederick’s death in the Third Crusade as the key to his lasting heroic reputation. In an intriguing epilogue, Freed explains how Hitler’s audacious attack on the Soviet Union in 1941 came to be called “Operation Barbarossa.”

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A fierce gladiator queen must face off against her enemies in an epic battle in this next thrilling installment of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards series—an action-packed adventure full of magic, murderous machinations, courtly intrigue, and pulse-pounding romance.Queen Everleigh Blair of Bellona has survived the mass murder of the royal family, become a fearsome warrior trained by an elite gladiator troupe, and unleashed her ability to destroy magic. After surviving yet another assassination attempt orchestrated by the conniving king of Morta, Evie has had enough. It’s time to turn the tables and take the fight to her enemies. There is no better opportunity to strike than during the Regalia Games, a time when warriors, nobles, and royals from all the kingdoms come together to compete in various sporting events. With the help of her loyal friends, Evie goes on the attack at the Regalia, but things don’t turn out the way she hopes. Soon, she is facing a terrifying new threat, and she will have to dig deep and learn even more about her growing magic if she has any chance of defeating her foes. Because to secure her throne and ensure her kingdom’s survival, Evie must think like a true Bellonan: she must outsmart and outwit her enemies . . . and crush the king.

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Finally, there’s a headwear solution for fashionable felines – and a practical use for accumulated shed hair. Cats in Hats contains step-by-step instructions for constructing stylish hats out of excess fur, so your cat will soon be the belle of the furball as they transform into a magical unicorn, ferocious lion or even a birthday cake! Welcome to Cats In Hats and admire the overwhelming cuteness of popular Instagrammers Rojiman and Umatan’s cats in their tiny cat-hair hats. Is your cat a diva? Maybe it’s time to make her a crown! Or perhaps he’s a bit of a prankster – put on a joker hat! There’s one for every occasion, from birthdays to graduation. Don't miss the Animal hats, from Elephant to Koala. Celebrate every annual festival with a Halloween Witch hat, Easter Bunny hat, and more. And amaze your cat with a character hat. From Princess Leia to Sherlock Holmes, whatever your cat's personality, we have a hat for them. With 300 hand-drawn step-by-step instructions for constructing 25 adorable hats, and colour photos of the authors’ own cats in their handmade headgear, Cats in Hats is a fun gift for any cat-lover or crafter. And with great tips from Rojiman and Umatan, you’ll be designing your own custom cat-hair creations in no time.

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A rip-roaring historical adventure set at the time of the Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot – winner of the Historical Association Young Quills Award! ' ... a wonderfully explosive adventure set in the turbulent year of the gunpowder plot in Black Powder with impossibly divided loyalties.' JULIA GOLDING, AUTHOR OF THE DIAMOND OF DRURY LANE 'With its constant reversals and twists and turns, Tom's story is almost as complex as the pliot and counter-plot of the Gunpowder Treason itself ... The writing is lively and the pace never flags.' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY England, 1605: 12-year-old Tom must save his father from hanging. He falls in with a mysterious stranger – the Falcon – who promises to help him in exchange for his service. But on the long journey to London, Tom discovers the Falcon’s true mission – and a plot to blow up Parliament with barrels of black powder. Tom faces a terrible decision: secure his father’s release, or stop the assassination of the king … A rip-roaring, action-packed life-and-death quest, packed with history and adventure Set at the time of the Gunpowder Plot and featuring Guy Fawkes – perfect for Bonfire Night and beyond Ideal for readers aged nine and up Check out more historical adventures by Ally Sherrick: THE BURIED CROWN, VITA AND THE GLADIATOR and THE QUEEN'S FOOL

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What comes to mind when we think of swans? Likely their beauty in domestic settings, their preserved status, their association with royalty, and possibly even the phrase ‘swan song’. This book explores the emergence of each of these ideas, starting with an examination of the medieval swan in natural history, exploring classical writings and their medieval interpretations and demonstrating how the idea of a swan’s song developed. The book then proceeds to consider literary motifs of swan-to-human transformation, particularly the legend of the Knight of the Swan. Although this legend is known today largely through Wagner’s opera, it was a best-seller in the Middle Ages, and courts throughout Europe strove to be associated as descendants of this Swan Knight. Consequently, the swan was projected as an icon of courtly and eventual royal status. The book’s third chapter looks at the swan as icon of the Lancasters, particularly important during the reign of Richard II and the War of the Roses, and the final chapter examines the swan as an important item of feasting, focusing on cookery and husbandry to argue that over time the right to keep swans became an increasingly restricted right controlled by the English crown. Each of the swan’s medieval associations are explored as they developed over time to the modern day. 　

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'The English Civil War is a joy to behold, a thing of beauty… this will be the civil war atlas against which all others will judged and the battle maps in particular will quickly become the benchmark for all future civil war maps.' -- Professor Martyn Bennett, Department of History, Languages and Global Studies, Nottingham Trent University The English Civil Wars (1638–51) comprised the deadliest conflict ever fought on British soil, in which brother took up arms against brother, father fought against son, and towns, cities and villages fortified themselves in the cause of Royalists or Parliamentarians. Although much historical attention has focused on the events in England and the key battles of Edgehill, Marston Moor and Naseby, this was a conflict that engulfed the entirety of the Three Kingdoms and led to a trial and execution that profoundly shaped the British monarchy and Parliament. This beautifully presented atlas tells the whole story of Britain’s revolutionary civil war, from the earliest skirmishes of the Bishops' Wars in 1639–40 through to 1651, when Charles II’s defeat at Worcester crushed the Royalist cause, leading to a decade of Stuart exile. Each map is supported by a detailed text, providing a complete explanation of the complex and fluctuating conflict that ultimately meant that the Crown would always be answerable to Parliament.

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Derided as seventies throwbacks upon their arrival and misremembered by the wider population as one-hit wonders, Marillion rode the 1980s as one of the most successful bands in Britain. Delivering the musical and conceptual density of early progressive rock with the caustic energy of punk, the Aylesbury heroes both spearheaded the neo-prog revival and produced its crown jewel in their number one album Misplaced Childhood and its Top 5 singles 'Kayleigh' and 'Lavender.' Musically, their influence reaches from prog legends Dream Theater and Steven Wilson to household names like Radiohead and Muse. The 1980s encapsulated Marillion's birth, commercial apex, and near-implosion. This book combines meticulous history with careful musical analysis to chronicle their most turbulent decade from their first gig, through the dizzying success and destructive decadence of their time with frontman Fish, to his bitter departure and replacement by Steve Hogarth. It turns an experienced critical eye not only on their five albums of the decade - from the seminal Script For A Jester's Tear to Season's End - Hogarth's debut - and a line-up that remains as active as ever. The book also discusses demos, singles, and Fish's solo debut to dissect a band which critics still love to hate, even as today's music industry stands upon their shoulders as pioneers of self-promotion and internet-based crowd funding

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James of St George has a reputation as one of the most significant castle builders of the Middle Ages. His origins and early career at the heart of Europe, and his subsequent masterminding of Edward I of England's castle-building programmes in Wales and Scotland, bestow upon him an international status afforded to few other master builders retained by the English crown. The works erected under his leadership represent what many consider to be the apog e of castle development in the British Isles, and Malcolm Hislop's absorbing new study of the architecture is the most important reassessment to be published in recent times. His book explores the evolution of the Edwardian castle and James of St George's contribution to it. He gives a fascinating insight into the design, construction and organisation of such large-scale building projects, and the structural, military and domestic characters of the castles themselves. James's work on castles in the medieval duchy of Savoy is revisited, as are the native and foreign influences on the design of those he built for Edward I. Some seventy years after A.J. Taylor began his pioneering research into James of St George and his connection with Wales, the time is ripe for this revaluation of James's impact and of the extent of his influence on the architectural character of the

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'In Stockwin's hands the sea story will continue to entrance readers across the world' - GuardianWith Bonaparte held to a stalemate in Europe, the race to empire is now resumed. Britain's ambitions turn to the Spice Islands, the Dutch East Indies, where Admiral Pellew has been sent to confront the enemy's vastly rich holdings in these tropical islands. Captain Sir Thomas Kydd joins reinforcements to snatch these for the British Crown.The two colonial masters of India and the East Indies face each other in mortal striving for the region - there can be only one victor to hold all the spoils. The colonial genius, Stamford Raffles, believes Britain should strike at the very centre of Dutch spice production, the Moluccas, rather than the fortresses one by one but is fiercely opposed. Kydd, allying himself to this cause, conspires to lead a tiny force to a triumphant conclusion - however the Dutch, stung by this loss, claim vengeance from the French. A battle for Java and an empire in the East stretches Kydd and Tyger's company to their very limits.*************Praise for Julian Stockwin's Kydd series'Paints a vivid picture of life aboard the mighty ship-of-the-line' Daily Express'This heady adventure blends fact and fiction in rich, authoritative detail' Nautical Magazine'Fans of fast-paced adventure will get their fill with this book' Historical Naval Society

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A heart-warming and emotional saga perfect for the coronation, perfect for fans of Nancy Revell, Rosie Goodwin and Vicky Beeby'This joyful saga is the perfect read to get you in the Coronation spirit!' MY WEEKLY 'Entirely charming and utterly joyful' TRISHA ASHLEY ____________ Spring, 1953. The sun is shining on Little Green Street, the bunting is being brought out, and Britain is getting ready to crown its new Queen. For Helen Jones, whose father died on the same day as the old king, the coronation might just represent a fresh start. Her husband Tad, organiser of the local street party, is determined to put a smile back on her face. Whereas for Emlyn Hughes, who has secretly admired beautiful single mother Nancy for years, the sudden festive spirit might just be the prompt he needs to finally confess his feelings. As the cakes are baked and the national anthem is rehearsed, the street is finally ready to cast aside the shadow of war for a moment of true joy. But Emlyn and Tad's plans are shaken by the arrival of an unexpected letter and an unwelcome guest. As old secrets threaten to ruin their new starts, only the power of good neighbours and kind hearts can keep the street together - and make sure they have a party that's fit for a Queen . . .

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Richard III and Henry Tudor's legendary battle: one that changed the course of English history.On the morning of 22 August 1485, in fields several miles from Bosworth, two armies faced each other, ready for battle. The might of Richard III's army was pitted against the inferior forces of the upstart pretender to the crown, Henry Tudor, a 28-year-old Welshman who had just arrived back on British soil after 14 years in exile. Yet this was to be a fight to the death - only one man could survive; only one could claim the throne.It would become one of the most legendary battles in English history: the only successful invasion since Hastings, it was the last time a king died on the battlefield. But BOSWORTH is much more than the account of the dramatic events of that fateful day in August. It is a tale of brutal feuds and deadly civil wars, and the remarkable rise of the Tudor family from obscure Welsh gentry to the throne of England - a story that began 60 years earlier with Owen Tudor's affair with Henry V's widow, Katherine of Valois.Drawing on eyewitness reports, newly discovered manuscripts and the latest archaeological evidence, Chris Skidmore vividly recreates this battle-scarred world in an epic saga of treachery and ruthlessness, death and deception and the birth of the Tudor dynasty.

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Set in the author's homeland of West Virginia, this panoramic collection of stories traces the people and animals who live in precarious balance in the mountains of Appalachia over a span of two hundred years, in a disappearing rural world. With omniscient narration, rich detail, and lyrical prose, Matthew Neill Null brings his landscape and characters vividly to life."Allegheny Front has few sentimental trappings. . . . Men's stubbornness is a rock face, in these intelligent and unpretentious stories, their anger a crown fire, their occasional tenderness a rill. . . . It remains at a distance from judgment, at a remove from easy definitions, unspooling a lucid and often painful history of appetite, exploitation, and bereavement."—Lydia Millet, from the introduction"Rich in history, speech, incident, flora, fauna, vernacular, geology, politics—Matthew Neill Null's work is dazzling. . . . If anything ever happened in the state of West Virginia, Null knows the long and short of it, and will make its story sing."—Salvatore ScibonaMatthew Neill Null is the author of the novel Honey from the Lion (Lookout Books). A graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, winner of the PEN/O. Henry Award and the Joseph Brodsky Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, his short fiction has appeared in the Oxford American, Ploughshares, the Mississippi Review, American Short Fiction, Ecotone, and elsewhere. He divides his time between West Virginia and Provincetown, Massachusetts, where he coordinates the writing fellowship at the Fine Arts Work Center.

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Because of their unique properties (size, shape, and surface functions), functional materials are gaining significant attention in the areas of energy conversion and storage, sensing, electronics, photonics, and biomedicine. Within the chapters of this book written by well-known researchers, one will find the range of methods that have been developed for preparation and functionalization of organic, inorganic and hybrid structures which are the necessary building blocks for the architecture of various advanced functional materials. The book discusses these innovative methodologies and research strategies, as well as provides a comprehensive and detailed overview of the cutting-edge research on the processing, properties and technology developments of advanced functional materials and their applications. Specifically, Advanced Functional Materials: Compiles the objectives related to functional materials and provides detailed reviews of fundamentals, novel production methods, and frontiers of functional materials, including metalic oxides, conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes, discotic liquid crystalline dimers, calixarenes, crown ethers, chitosan and graphene. Discusses the production and characterization of these materials, while mentioning recent approaches developed as well as their uses and applications for sensitive chemiresistors, optical and electronic materials, solar hydrogen generation, supercapacitors, display and organic light-emitting diodes, functional adsorbents, and antimicrobial and biocompatible layer formation. This volume in the Advanced Materials Book Series includes twelve chapters divided into two main areas: Part 1: Functional Metal Oxides: Architecture, Design and Applications and Part 2: Multifunctional Hybrid Materials: Fundamentals and Frontiers

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The Continental Divide Trail presents the full glory of this challenging trail in breathtaking images, ephemera, and maps. While untold thousands of day hikers take advantage of the CDT each year, thru-hiking the entire trail is not for the faint-hearted. In 2017, only 250 people will attempt to hike it end to end. The Continental Divide Trail is perfect for anyone interested in conservation, outdoor recreation, or American history, or for those who dream of one day becoming thru-hikers themselves.This is the first large-format book published in conjunction with the Continental Divide Trail Coalition, and the breathtaking photographs make you feel as if you were on the trail. The book includes maps and rarely seen archival images, as well as a written backstory of this great trail. This photo- and information-packed book is a must-have for anyone who has ever caught the magic of the nation s rooftop, the Great Divide. It s an inspirational bucket list for everyone who wants to get outdoors day hiker, backpacker, fisherman, hunter, and those rare souls thru-hikers who dare to attempt hiking it all in one go.With text by Barney Mann, who has thru-hiked all three Triple Crown trails, and a foreword by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, this book makes the trail come alive for both veteran hikers and armchair travelers alike.

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE HWA GOLD CROWN LONGLISTED FOR THE BRITISH SCIENCE FICTION ASSOCIATION 2021 BEST NOVEL For fans of Matt Haig, Stuart Turton and Bridget Collins comes a sweeping historical adventure from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street 'Original, joyous and horrifying, The Kingdoms is an awe-inspiring feat of imagination and passion which had me in tears by the end' - Catriona Ward Come home, if you remember The postcard has been held at the sorting office for ninety-one years, waiting to be delivered to Joe Tournier. On the front is a lighthouse – Eilean Mor, in the Outer Hebrides. Joe has never left England, never even left London. He is a British slave, one of thousands throughout the French Empire. He has a job, a wife, a baby daughter. But he also has flashes of a life he cannot remember and of a world that never existed – a world where English is spoken in England, and not French. And now he has a postcard of a lighthouse built just six months ago, that was first written nearly one hundred years ago, by a stranger who seems to know him very well. Joe’s journey to unravel the truth will take him from French-occupied London to a remote Scottish island, and back through time itself as he battles for his life – and for a very different future.

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Bainton Prize for History and Theology Honorable MentionDeza and Its Moriscos addresses an incongruity in early modern Spanish historiography: a growing awareness of the importance played by Moriscos in Spanish society and culture alongside a dearth of knowledge about individuals or local communities. By reassessing key elements in the religious and social history of early modern Spain through the experience of the small Castilian town of Deza, Patrick J. O’Banion asserts the importance of local history in understanding large-scale historical events and challenges scholars to rethink how marginalized people of the past exerted their agency. Moriscos, baptized Muslims and their descendants, were pressured to convert to Christianity at the end of the Middle Ages but their mass baptisms led to fears about lingering crypto-Islamic activities. Many political and religious authorities, and many of the Moriscos’ neighbors as well, concluded that the conversions had produced false Christians. Between 1609 and 1614 nearly all of Spain’s Moriscos—some three hundred thousand individuals—were thus expelled from their homeland. Contrary to the assumptions of many modern scholars, rich source materials show the town’s Morisco minority wielded remarkable social, economic, and political power. Drawing deeply on a diverse collection of archival material as well as early printed works, this study illuminates internal conflicts, external pressures brought to bear by the Inquisition, the episcopacy, and the crown, and the possibilities and limitations of negotiated communal life at the dawn of modernity.

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This absorbing book explores the tensions within the Roman Catholic church and between the church and royal authority in France in the crucial period 1290-1321. During this time the crown tried to force churchmen to accept policies many considered inconsistent with ecclesiastical freedom and traditions--such as paying war taxes and expelling the Jews from the kingdom. William Jordan considers these issues through the eyes of one of the most important and courageous actors, the Cistercian monk, professor, abbot, and polemical writer Jacques de Therines. The result is a fresh perspective on what Jordan terms "the story of France in a politically terrifying period of its existence, one of unceasing strife and unending fear." Jacques de Therines was involved in nearly every controversy of the period: the expulsion of the Jews from France, the relocation of the papacy to Avignon, the affair of the Templars, the suppression of the "heresies" of Marguerite Porete and of the Spiritual Franciscans, and the defense of the "exempt" monastic orders' freedom from all but papal control. The stands he took were often remarkable in themselves: hostility to the expulsion of Jews and spirited defense of the Templars, for example. The book also traces the emergence of King Philip the Fair's (1285-1314) almost paranoid style of rule and its impact on church-state relations, which makes the expression of Jacques de Therines's views all the more courageous.

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This volume includes: Olga Levaniouk, “The Dreams of Barčin and Penelope”; Paul K. Hosle, “Bacchylides’ Theseus and Vergil’s Aristaeus”; Vayos Liapis, “Arion and the Dolphin: Apollo Delphinios and Maritime Networks in Herodotus”; Nino Luraghi, “The Peloponnesian Peace: Herodotus, Thucydides, and the Ideology of the Peace of Nikias”; Andrea Capra, “The Staging and Meaning of Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen”; Konstantine Panegyres, “Moses, Pharaoh, and the Waters of the Nile: Artapanus FGrHist 726 F 3”; Roy D. Kotansky, “Underworld and Celestial Eschatologies in the ‘Orphic’ Gold Leaves”; Vittorio Remo Danovi, “New Citations from the Libri Etruscorum and Varro in Vergilian Scholia”; T. H. M. Gellar-Goad, “Tears and Personified Nature in Juvenal 15.131–140 and Lucretius 3.931–962”; Tristan Power, “Textual Conjectures on Catullus 55.9-12”; Francesco Rotiroti, “From Beneficent God to Maddened Bull: The Shepherd of Men in the Works of Virgil”; J. S. C. Eidinow, “The Critic and the Farmer: Horace, Maecenas, and Virgil in Horace Carm. 1.1”; Shirley Werner, “The Rules of the Game: Imitation and Mimesis in Horace Epistles 1.19”; Francis Newton, “Ovid Met. 1: Jupiter’s Plebeians, the Titles of Augustus, and the Poet’s Exile”; Simona Martorana, “Omission and Allusion: When Statius’ Hypsipyle Reads Ovid’s Heroides 6”; Michael Zellmann-Rohrer, “The Chronokratores in Greek Astrology, in Light of a New Papyrus Text: Oxford, Bodl. MS Gr. Class. B 24 (P) 1–2”; Konstantine Panegyres, “ΒΟΜΒΟΣ: Heliodorus Aethiopica 9.17.1”; Andrew C. Johnston, “Aemilius and the Crown: Rome and the Hellenistic World of the Alexander Romance.”

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When Vesuvius erupted in 79 CE, the force of the explosion blew the top right off the mountain, burying nearby Pompeii in a shower of volcanic ash. Ironically, the calamity that proved so lethal for Pompeii's inhabitants preserved the city for centuries, leaving behind a snapshot of Roman daily life that has captured the imagination of generations.The experience of Pompeii always reflects a particular time and sensibility, says Ingrid Rowland. From Pompeii: The Afterlife of a Roman Town explores the fascinating variety of these different experiences, as described by the artists, writers, actors, and others who have toured the excavated site. The city's houses, temples, gardens--and traces of Vesuvius's human victims--have elicited responses ranging from awe to embarrassment, with shifting cultural tastes playing an important role. The erotic frescoes that appalled eighteenth-century viewers inspired Renoir to change the way he painted. For Freud, visiting Pompeii was as therapeutic as a session of psychoanalysis. Crown Prince Hirohito, arriving in the Bay of Naples by battleship, found Pompeii interesting, but Vesuvius, to his eyes, was just an ugly version of Mount Fuji. Rowland treats readers to the distinctive, often quirky responses of visitors ranging from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Dickens, and Mark Twain to Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman.Interwoven throughout a narrative lush with detail and insight is the thread of Rowland's own impressions of Pompeii, where she has returned many times since first visiting in 1962.

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From Sunday Times bestselling author Julia Quinn and television pioneer Shonda Rhimes comes a powerful and romantic novel, inspired by the original series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, created by Shondaland for Netflix.'We are one crown. His weight is mine, and mine is his . . .'In 1761, on a sunny day in September, a King and Queen meet for the first time. They are married within hours. Charlotte is beautiful, headstrong, and fiercely intelligent - George is instantly captivated. But as Charlotte falls in love, the King starts to push her away. Because George has secrets . . . secrets with the potential to shake the foundations of the monarchy.Thrust into her new role, scared and alone, Charlotte must learn to navigate the intricate politics of the court, and to understand that she has been given the power to remake society. She must fight - for herself, for her husband, and for all her new subjects. For she will never be just Charlotte again. It's time for her to fulfil her destiny . . . as Queen....................Readers have fallen head over heels for Queen Charlotte!'A great story about how love overcomes all. Incredibly touching to read''A beautiful story of not just love, but strength and character. This novel was just as good as the show''To truly understand the series, you have to read this book. It's even better reading it''George and Charlotte will make you laugh, cry, give you hope, and break your heart'

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This title helps you find out about the land of the pharaohs, with 15 step-by-step projects and over 400 exciting pictures. You can step back in time to the world of the ancient Egyptians and uncover the treasures and secrets of this mysterious 3000-year-old civilization. It includes fact boxes that provide additional information and highlight links with the present. It is ideal for home or school use and for ages 8 to 12. It features 15 easy and fun projects that allow you to bring the past to life - make a miniature pyramid, build a model boat suitable for sailing on the Nile, create your own water clock, sculpt a canopic jar, and bake pastries from an age-old Egyptian recipe. More than 400 photographs and illustrations include specially commissioned cross-section diagrams, historical maps and hieroglyphs. You can learn what life was like for the people of the Nile Delta. You can delve into the dark secrets of their funeral rites, mummies and tombs, and the many strange gods they revered. You can learn about their love of fine art and crafts, and their amazing architectural skills. A variety of practical projects will help you to experience how ancient Egyptians lived. You can make a crown fit for a pharaoh, build a scale model of an Egyptian house, and play a traditional board game. This accessible book is ideal for fun and learning, at home or at school.

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"Wonderfully lush and enthralling." —Erin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and SorrowsFrom the author of Crown of Coral and Pearl comes an immersive new fantasy about a witch who must learn to harness her power—or risk losing her loved ones forever.Liora has spent her life in hiding, knowing discovery could mean falling prey to the king’s warlock, Darius, who uses mages’ magic to grow his own power. But when her worst nightmare comes to pass, Darius doesn’t take her. Instead, he demands that her younger sister return to the capital with him. To make matters worse, Evran, Liora’s childhood friend and the only one who knows her secret, goes missing following Darius’s visit, leaving her without anyone to turn to.To find Evran and to save her sister, Liora must embrace the power she has always feared. But the greatest danger she’ll face is yet to come, for Darius has plans in motion that will cause the world to fall into chaos—and Liora and Evran may be the only ones who can stop him. “A beautiful, enchanting tale of a young woman coming into her own powers. Luminous shines as brightly as its heroine.” —Joan He, New York Times bestselling author of The Ones We’re Meant to Find“Shining prose, radiant characters, and a love story that burns bright.” —Elly Blake, New York Times bestselling author of the Frostblood Saga

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"One of the premier authors of paranormal romance. Gena Showalter delivers an utterly spellbinding story!"—Kresley Cole, #1 New York Times bestselling authorNew York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with The Phantom, the third book in her pulse-pounding Rise of the Warlords series, featuring a vengeful harpy and a callous torture master locked in a battle to the death. As the son of a war god, Roux Pyroesis has suffered unending pain—he’s caused it, too, dispatching his foes with alarming ease. Now he’s tasked with cutting out the heart of a powerful queen who rules an ancient prison realm inhabited by the most vicious immortal females in existence.Blythe the Undoing is a decorated harpy warrior determined to annihilate Roux, the invader who killed her beloved consort. Nothing will stop her. Even if she must trap herself for eternity by sneaking into the brutal realm and taking the crown, pitting herself against the merciless male she’s sworn to despise.Having never known desire, Roux is ill prepared for the stunning beauty who challenges him at every turn. For the survival of his army, duty comes first. Always. But what happens when the flames of Blythe’s hatred burn out and she craves him, too…but only one of them can live?Don't miss the rest of the Rise of the Warlords series: Book 1: The Warlord Book 2: The Immortal Book 3: The Phantom Book 4: The Wrath - Coming Feb 2024!

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A dark and twisty murder mystery - Ace of Spades meets Riverdale 'At once incisive and chilling, The Black Queen folds hard-hitting truths into a propulsive murder mystery, delivering a story that both entertains and examines. This is Pretty Little Liars for a new generation.' - Tahereh Mafi, New York Times bestselling author of the Shatter Me series Tinsley McArthur was supposed to become homecoming queen, just like generations of McArthur women before her. But in a bid for diversity, Lovett High wants a black queen this year and the top contender is the bold and beautiful Nova Albright. Though Tinsley tries to convince her to drop out, Nova isn't about to step aside for some rich white girl. On homecoming night, drunk and enraged, Tinsley is caught on camera declaring she should have killed Nova. The next morning Lovett High's first Black homecoming queen turns up dead. Would Tinsley do anything for the crown? Nova's best friend Duchess certainly thinks so. So when Tinsley asks Duchess for help to clear her name, she agrees. She's determined to get justice for Nova, even it means befriending a murderer to find proof against her. But their investigation begins to uncover secrets about Nova's past and one big secret that could change everything in their small town. Perfect for fans of Ace of Spades, A Good Girl's Guide to Murder and Riverdale Sharp, clever and unputdownable - a thriller with a bite From 2018 PitchWars author Jumata Emill

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From the award-winning and bestselling author of Shatter Me comes All This Twisted Glory, the highly anticipated third novel in the Persian inspired mythology This Woven Kingdom series As the long-lost heir to the Jinn throne, Alizeh has finally found her people—and she might’ve found her crown. Cyrus, the mercurial ruler of Tulan, has offered her his kingdom in a twisted exchange: one that would begin with their marriage and end with his murder. Cyrus’s dark reputation precedes him; all the world knows of his blood-soaked past. Killing him should be easy—and accepting his offer might be the only way to fulfill her destiny and save her people. But the more Alizeh learns of him, the more she questions whether the terrible stories about him are true. Ensnared by secrets, Cyrus has ached for Alizeh since she first appeared in his dreams many months ago. Now that he knows those visions were planted by the devil, he can hardly bear to look at her—much less endure her company. But despite their best efforts to despise each other, Alizeh and Cyrus are drawn together over and over with an all-consuming thirst that threatens to destroy them both. Meanwhile, Prince Kamran has arrived in Tulan, ready to exact revenge… Layered with exquisite tension and heart-stopping romance, All This Twisted Glory is the explosive third book in the captivating, bestselling This Woven Kingdom series.

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NEVER in the history of the game has one life brought both joy and tragedy in such huge measures. Duncan Edwards was the jewel in the crown of the Busby Babes, an all-time legend at just 21, who was denied the chance to achieve even greater footballing success by the Munich Air Disaster in 1958. This fascinating new biography, with support from friends and relatives, includes rare and unseen pictures and tells the story of the boy who left his home in Dudley to earn his Manchester United debut at the age of 16 – and made such an impression that he was an England international at 18. The most forensic account of this remarkable life and career includes new interviews, as well as contributions from icons of United and the wider English game – plus quotes from Edwards himself. He packed so much into a short career, collecting 18 caps, winning the First Division title twice, and helping Matt Busby’s team take their first steps in European football, but it was an all-round game that had no weakness that impressed most. Team-mate Bobby Charlton summed Edwards up best: “Sentiment can throw a man’s judgement out of perspective. Yet it is not the case with him. A few are great, and deserve respect. But Duncan Edwards was the greatest.” ‘Eternal’ is the complete story of an extraordinary footballer, whose influence on Manchester United and the success that followed can still be felt today.

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The end is coming.Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him - but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy. It's past time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no-one is safe, and no-one can be trusted. His days with a sword are far behind him. It's a good thing blackmail, threats and torture still work well enough.Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is far too painful, and turned his back on soldiering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too, and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man when he least expects it.While the King of the Union lies on his deathbead, the peasants revolt and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No-one believes that the shadow of war is falling across the very heart of the Union. The First of the Magi has a plan to save the world, as he always does. But there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, after all, than to break the First Law...

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"This history will endure; not only because Sir Winston has written it, but also because of its own inherent virtues — its narrative power, its fine judgment of war and politics, of soldiers and statesmen, and even more because it reflects a tradition of what Englishmen in the hey-day of their empire thought and felt about their country's past." The Daily Telegraph Spanning four volumes and many centuries of history, from Caesar’s invasion of Britain to the start of World War I, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples stands as one of Winston Churchill’s most magnificent literary works. Begun during Churchill’s ‘wilderness years’ when he was out of government, first published in 1956 after his leadership through the darkest days of World War II had cemented his place in history and completed when Churchill was in his 80s, it remains to this day a compelling and vivid history. The second volume – The New World – explores the emergence of Britain on the world stage and a turbulent period at home: from Henry VIII’s break with Rome and the English Reformation to the fending off of the Spanish Armada and the schism between parliament and crown that led to the civil war, the fall and rise of the monarchy and the rule of Oliver Cromwell. The book also covers the historic journey of the ‘Mayflower’ that saw the English-speaking peoples’ arrival in the Americas.

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**Longlisted for the HWA Gold Crown**An eerie and compelling ghost story set on the dark wilds of the Yorkshire moors. For fans of The Witchfinder's Sister and The Silent Companions, this gothic tale will weave its way into your imagination and chill you to the bone. 'Spine-tingling... the scariest ghost story I have read in a long time' Barbara Erskine 'A wonderful, macabre evocation of a lost way of life' The Times 'Like something from Emily Bronte's nightmares' Andrew Taylor, author of The Ashes of London Maybe you've heard tales about Scarcross Hall, the house on the old coffin path that winds from village to moor top. They say there's something up here, something evil.Mercy Booth isn't afraid. The moors and Scarcross are her home and lifeblood. But, beneath her certainty, small things are beginning to trouble her. Three ancient coins missing from her father's study, the shadowy figure out by the gatepost, an unshakeable sense that someone is watching.When a stranger appears seeking work, Mercy reluctantly takes him in. As their stories entwine, this man will change everything. She just can't see it yet. What readers are saying about The Coffin Path: 'A fantastic eerie ghost story to settle down with on a winters night''Compelling and chilling, the slow build-up of tension had me completely on edge''I couldn't put it down. I felt I was there on the moors, being watched by the unseen'

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The end is coming.Logen Ninefingers might only have one more fight in him - but it's going to be a big one. Battle rages across the North, the King of the Northmen still stands firm, and there's only one man who can stop him. His oldest friend, and his oldest enemy. It's past time for the Bloody-Nine to come home.With too many masters and too little time, Superior Glokta is fighting a different kind of war. A secret struggle in which no-one is safe, and no-one can be trusted. His days with a sword are far behind him. It's a good thing blackmail, threats and torture still work well enough.Jezal dan Luthar has decided that winning glory is far too painful, and turned his back on soldiering for a simple life with the woman he loves. But love can be painful too, and glory has a nasty habit of creeping up on a man when he least expects it.While the King of the Union lies on his deathbead, the peasants revolt and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No-one believes that the shadow of war is falling across the very heart of the Union. The First of the Magi has a plan to save the world, as he always does. But there are risks. There is no risk more terrible, after all, than to break the First Law...

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Paul Doherty's twenty-third medieval mystery featuring Sir Hugh Corbett is a gripping and gruesome tale of murder and mayhem sure to appeal to fans of C. J. Sansom and Bernard Cornwell.Spring, 1312. Edward II of England is absorbed with his favourite, Peter Gaveston, while his young wife, Isabella, is with child. Isabella's father, the ruthless Philip of France, dreams of a grandson wearing the Crown of the Confessor and starts to meddle - even if that means murder...Amaury de Craon, Philip's Master of Secrets, is despatched to carry out his deadly deeds and Edward II summons Sir Hugh Corbett, Keeper of the Secret Seal, to intercept. Both master spies lodge at the Benedictine abbey of St Michael's in the forest of Ashdown. Supposedly a house of prayer, the abbey holds sinister secrets and treasures which include the world's most exquisite diamond, The Glory of Heaven. However, shortly after their arrival, the diamond is stolen and its guardian murdered. Other macabre incidents follow, Satan is seen walking through God's Acre and a nearby tavern is burnt to the ground and no one escapes. Corbett, assisted by his henchmen, prepares to navigate this hazardous maze of murder...What readers say about Paul Doherty:'Good plots, clever twists and mostly impossible to work out''Paul Doherty's depictions of medieval England are truly outstanding''Another brilliant story in the excellent Hugh Corbett series by a superb historical author'

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An ailing king. An ambitious queen. Four tenuous friends. And a deadly game that threatens them all.The stakes are higher than ever in this thrilling sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star.After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders - and breaking several fae laws to do so - all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck's Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn't be too much to ask, right?But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods' attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it's Arlo they're going to use to do it.When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She'll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she's just been greatly misunderstood.With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she'll soon be faced with a choice that won't only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever, but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.

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This seminal period of British history is a far-off world in which poverty, violence and superstition went hand-in-hand with opulence, religious virtue and a thriving cultural landscape, at once familiar and alien to the modern reader. John Matusiak sets out to shed new light on the lives and times of the Tudors by exploring the objects they left behind. Among them, a silver-gilt board badge discarded at Bosworth Field when Henry VII won the English crown; a signet ring that may have belonged to Shakespeare; the infamous Halifax gibbet, on which some 100 people were executed; scientific advancements such as a prosthetic arm and the first flushing toilet; and curiosities including a ladies’ sun mask, ‘Prince Arthur’s hutch’ and the Danny jewel, which was believed to be made from the horn of a unicorn. The whole vivid panorama of Tudor life is laid bare in this thought-provoking and frequently myth-shattering narrative, which is firmly founded upon contemporary accounts and the most up-to-date results of modern scholarship."Everything you wanted to know about the Merrie England of the Tudors and some things you probably did not. If the Tudors seem far removed, they are also curiously modern. They had spectacles and metal prosthetic arms, while a “fuming pot” was but a prototype Air Wick. Matusiak’s mini essays accompanying the photographs are perfectly sculpted and the book is beautiful to hold." - Charlotte Heathcote, The Sunday Express

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The Mighty Warrior Kings traces the history of early Europe through the biographies of nine kings, who had the courage, determination and martial might to establish their dominance over the fragmented remnants of the Roman Empire. The book begins with Charlemagne, who united large regions of current-day France, Germany and Italy into the Holy Roman Empire and ends with Robert the Bruce, who gallantry defended Scotland against the attempted usurpation of England. There are many famous warrior kings in the book, including Alfred the Great of Wessex, whose victories over the Vikings led to the unification of England under a single ruler, William I of Normandy, whose triumph at Hastings in 1066 changed the course of English history, while Frederick I Barbarossa led his army to victory in Germany and Italy solidifying and expanding the lands under the suzerainty of the Holy Roman Emperor. Among the lesser known monarchs discussed in the work are Cnut, whose victory at the battle of Ashingdon won the English crown and resulted in the creation of the North Sea Empire, which ruled over the kingdoms of England, Denmark and Norway, while during the reign of Louis IX of France the knights of Europe answered his call for the Seven Crusade to expel the Muslims from the Holy City of Jerusalem. From Charlemagne to Robert the Bruce, the warrior kings created a new Europe with a centralized powerbase and set the stage for the following Age of Absolutism.

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In an era of spectacular thoroughbreds, Spectacular Bid was perhaps the most exalted racehorse of them all. In 1979 he won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes—and transcended his sport on a run of twelve consecutive stakes victories. But he lost his quest for the Triple Crown with a third-place finish in the Belmont Stakes due to a series of bizarre events that have never before been accurately reported. In The Fast Ride, Jack Gilden tells the story of what really happened the day the Bid lost the biggest race of his life. Along the way, he introduces the reader to a cast of characters from the gilded age of late twentieth-century horse racing, from Bid’s owners, the renowned Meyerhoff family, to Grover “Buddy” Delp, the fast-talking trainer, to teenage jockey Ronnie Franklin, whose meteoric rise to fame with Spectacular Bid came at the cost of his innocence and well-being. Also present are four of the era’s magnificent Latino riders, Ángel Cordero Jr., Jacinto Vásquez, Georgie Velásquez, and Ruben Hernandez, who all felt the sting of rejection and bigotry during their long careers even as they raised the level of competition to a feverish pitch.The Fast Ride is the story of a great racehorse, unfulfilled dreams, the exhilaration and steep price of striving at all costs, and an American era in which getting everything you ever wanted could be the most empty and unfulfilling sensation of all.

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Most of us know the legend of Secretariat, the tall, handsome chestnut racehorse whose string of honours runs long and rich: the only two-year-old ever to win Horse of the Year, in 1972; winner in 1973 of the Triple Crown, his times in all three races still unsurpassed; featured on the cover of "Time", "Newsweek", and "Sports Illustrated"; the only horse listed on ESPN's top fifty athletes of the twentieth century (ahead of Mickey Mantle). His final race at Toronto's Woodbine Racetrack is a touchstone memory for horse lovers everywhere. Yet while Secretariat will be remembered forever, one man, Eddie "Shorty" Sweat, who was pivotal to the great horse's success, has been all but forgotten - until now.In "The Horse God Built", bestselling equestrian writer Lawrence Scanlan has written a tribute to an exceptional man that is also a back roads journey to a corner of the racing world rarely visited. As a young black man growing up in South Carolina, Eddie Sweat struggled at several occupations before settling on the job he was born for - groom to North America's finest racehorses. As Secretariat's groom, loyal friend, and protector, Eddie understood the horse far better than anyone else. A wildly generous man who could read a horse with his eyes, he shared in little of the financial success or glamour of Secretariat's wins on the track, but won the heart of Big Red with his soft words and relentless devotion.

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The first comprehensive study of the reception of the classical tradition in medieval Catalan letters. This book offers the first comprehensive study of the reception of the classical tradition in medieval Catalan letters, a multilingual process involving not only Latin and Catalan, but also neighbouring vernaculars like Aragonese,Castilian, French, and Italian. The authors survey the development of classical literacy from the twelfth-century Aragonese royal courts until the arrival of the printing press and the dissemination of Italian Humanism. Aimed atstudents and scholars of medieval and early modern Iberia - and anyone interested in medieval Romance literatures and the classical tradition - this volume also provides a concise introduction to the medieval Crown of Aragon, a catalogue of translations into Catalan of texts from classical antiquity through the Italian Renaissance, and a critical study of the influence of the classics in five major works: Bernat Metge's Lo somni, Joanot Martorell'sTirant lo Blanc, the anonymous Curial e Güelfa, Ausiàs March's poetry, and Joan Roís de Corella's prose. Lluís Cabré is associate professor of medieval Catalan literature at the Universitat Autònoma dercelona; Alejandro Coroleu is ICREA research professor of Renaissance Humanism at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Montserrat Ferrer is a research associate at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Albert Lloret is associate professor of Spanish and Catalan at the University of Massachusetts Amherst; Josep Pujol is associate professor of medieval Catalan literature at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

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The first in-depth dual-biography of Elizabeth & Margaret, written by the bestselling royal biographer, Andrew Morton.They were the closest of sisters and the best of friends. But when, in a quixotic twist of fate, their uncle Edward VIII decided to abdicate the throne, the dynamic between Elizabeth and Margaret was dramatically altered. Forever more, Margaret would have to curtsey to the sister she called ‘Lillibet’. And bow to her wishes.Elizabeth would always look upon her younger sister’s antics with a kind of stoical amusement but Margaret’s struggle to find a place and position inside the royal system – and her fraught relationship with its expectations – was often a source of tension. Famously, the Queen had to inform Margaret that the Church and government would not countenance her marrying a divorcee, Group Captain Peter Townsend, forcing Margaret to choose between keeping her title and royal allowances or her divorcee lover.From the idyll of their cloistered early life, through their hidden wartime lives, into the divergent paths they took following their father’s death and Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne, this book explores their relationship over the years. Andrew Morton, renowned bestselling author of Diana: Her True Story, offers unique insight into these two drastically different sisters – one resigned to duty and responsibility, the other resistant to it – and the lasting impact they have had on the Crown, the royal family and the way it has adapted to the changing mores of the twentieth century.

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Born to rule. Raised to deceive.The plot: overthrow a kingdom. The goal: world domination. The plan: marriage.Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes. Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides - because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal - to bring down monarchies - and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother's grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vestria. The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans - and their mother hasn't told them all of hers. Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can't trust anyone - not even each other?Laura Sebastian stuns in this new trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess. A spellbinding story of three princesses and the destiny they were born for: seduction, conquest, and the crown.

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Bartolom\u00e9 de Las Casas championed the rights of the Indians of Mexico and Central America, disputing a widely held belief that they were "beasts" to be enslaved. In a dramatic debate in 1550 with Juan Gin\u00e9s de Sep\u00falveda, Las Casas argued vehemently before a royal commission in Valladolid that the native inhabitants should be viewed as fellow human beings, artistically and mechanically adroit, and capable of learning when properly taught. In Defense of the Indians, Las Casas's classic treatise on the humanity of native peoples, had far-reaching implications for the policies adopted by both the Spanish Crown and the Church toward slavery in the New World. This carefully reasoned but emotionally charged defense addresses issues such as the concept of a just war, the relationships between differing races and cultures, the concept of colonialism, and the problem of racism. Written toward the end of an active career as "Protector of the Indians," the work stands as a summary of the teaching of Las Casas's life. Available in its entirety for the first time in paperback, with a new foreword by Martin E. Marty, In Defense of the Indians has proved to be an enduring work that speaks with relevance in the twentieth-first century. Skillfully translated from Latin by the Reverend Stafford Poole, it is an eloquent plea for human freedom that will appeal to scholars interested in the founding of the Americas and the development of the New World.

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Published in 1557, Nikolaus Federmann’s Jndianische Historia is a fascinating narrative describing the German military commander’s incursion into what is now Venezuela. Designed not only for classroom use but also for the use of scholars, this English translation is accompanied by a critical introduction that contextualizes Federmann’s firsthand account within the broader Spanish colonial system.Having gained the rights to colonize Venezuela from the Spanish Crown in 1528, the Welser merchant house of Augsburg, Germany, sent mercenaries, settlers, and miners to set up colonial structures. The venture never turned a profit, and operations ceased in 1546 after two Welser officials were murdered. Federmann’s text gives an account of his foray into the interior of Venezuela in 1530–31. It describes violent first contact with Indigenous peoples as well as Federmann’s communication strategies, how he managed to prevail in hostile terrain, and how he related to other agents of the conquests. It also documents his unwavering belief in the intrinsic preeminence of European Christians and, ultimately, in the righteousness of his mission.The only detailed record of this incursion, Federmann’s text adds a unique and important perspective to our understanding of first colonial contact on the Caribbean coast of South America. It provides insight into the first-contact dynamic, the techniques of subjugation and dominance, and the web of diverging interests among stakeholders. This volume will be a valuable resource for courses and for scholarship on conquest and colonialism in Latin America.

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In The Icon and the Square, Maria Taroutina examines how the traditional interests of institutions such as the crown, the church, and the Imperial Academy of Arts temporarily aligned with the radical, leftist, and revolutionary avant-garde at the turn of the twentieth century through a shared interest in the Byzantine past, offering a counternarrative to prevailing notions of Russian modernism. Focusing on the works of four different artists—Mikhail Vrubel, Vasily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, and Vladimir Tatlin—Taroutina shows how engagement with medieval pictorial traditions drove each artist to transform his own practice, pushing beyond the established boundaries of his respective artistic and intellectual milieu. She also contextualizes and complements her study of the work of these artists with an examination of the activities of a number of important cultural associations and institutions over the course of several decades. As a result, The Icon and the Square gives a more complete picture of Russian modernism: one that attends to the dialogue between generations of artists, curators, collectors, critics, and theorists.The Icon and the Square retrieves a neglected but vital history that was deliberately suppressed by the atheist Soviet regime and subsequently ignored in favor of the secular formalism of mainstream modernist criticism. Taroutina’s timely study, which coincides with the centennial reassessments of Russian and Soviet modernism, is sure to invigorate conversation among scholars of art history, modernism, and Russian culture.

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